Another question we are often asked is if we have the PC Game guide or manual that originally came with the PC Game title that someone is purchasing.  In most cases the answer is no.   

Most gamers do not keep the retail box that came with the game they originally bought.  This typically means that any manuals or extra materials that cannot fit in the jewel case will be misplaced or discarded.  When it comes time to sell their old PC game, it is usually just the CD-ROM and the Jewel case (and perhaps the Front Cover Art and Rear Insert) that they can find.

The vast majority of titles we and others sell do not include the PC game manuals. Most merchants do not want to sell the manuals because it adds to the shipping costs incurred by the seller and in a highly competitive market most buyers are looking at the bottom line including shipping and not taking into consideration whether or not a Game Manual is included in the deal.  Most current titles that are sold will now include the manual on one of the installation CD-ROM disks itself.  Even manufacturers want to save on packaging and resources that would be necessary for printing and shipping a manual with each title. 

There are however some games that are almost impossible to play without the use of a manual.  Even if one has some previous knowledge of how a game works and how to play it, they will often forget key elements of the game that they have not picked up in several years. 

In our search for answers to our customer’s questions, we have found some excellent Free resources on the net that are available to PC Gamers.

The first site is The Game Manual Archive at gamemanuals.net   They state on their website that they are attempting to gather all the many thousands of game manuals that are in existence in an effort to preserve video game documentation in an electronic format.  They have done an incredible job with their site.  The site is easy to navigate.  It simply takes entering your game into the search box and then selecting your platform (35 to choose from) and then getting your results.  Downloads are a snap and happen almost instantly.

They have over 5800 guides and almost 1000 of those are for PC games.  Several other factors make this a great site.  They provide a forum where you can log your requests for manuals not yet up on the site and others in the community will try to meet your needs.  They also welcome submissions from fellow gamers to add to the collection.

The second site is replacementdocs located at replacementdocs.com.  They provide manuals for over 1800 different PC games with a total of over 4000 different game guides available.  This site also has forums with helpful gamers, an updated news section, and tips on how to create PDF files of your favorite manuals or other documents.

The only detraction from this site is the cumbersome download interface.  When you download a guide you will actually open the PDF file on your computer rather getting a zip file of the guide.  You can still save the PDF file to view at a later date.  Other than this, the site is really well put together and has twice as many guides as The Game Manual Archive.

We usually check The Game Manual Archive first because of its user friendly interface and fast downloads.  But if we can’t find it there we will almost certainly find it over at replacementdocs.  Between these two sites you should never have to worry about were to get that hard to find manual for that equally hard to get game.